Black Hole Expeditions

What You Need

An expedition needs exactly one Charon, a utility ship unlocked through research, and at least one escort ship to travel with it. Haulers are worth bringing, because everything the fleet finds has to fit in its hold. Expeditions carry no cargo out, and no General can lead one. You can only have one expedition under way at a time.

To launch, select the black hole on the galaxy map and choose Launch expedition, or pick the Expedition mission on the Send Fleet screen, which selects the black hole for you. Fuel for the round trip is paid up front, so a recall can never strand your fleet. See Fleets and Missions.

Inside the Singularity

Once the fleet arrives it stays inside until you recall it. Time passes in hourly rounds. Each round the fleet may find resources, which go into its hold if there is room, and each round some escort ships may be lost. The longer the fleet stays, the richer the finds become, and the more dangerous each round gets. Expeditions are meant to last days rather than hours.

The Charon itself is never picked off. But if the last escort is lost, the Charon goes too, and the fleet and everything it carries are gone for good.

The Expedition tab of the Fleet screen shows the ships aboard, how long the fleet has been inside, the current chance of losing each escort, the hold, and a live log of everything that happens. It is also where you recall the fleet.

Ancient Ships

Time inside the black hole can turn up ancient ships, built by a lost precursor species that nobody else can build. They are found far more often than you might expect, and a long stay can bring several at once. Ancient finds are held apart from the fleet, so they never count as escorts and are never at risk while the fleet is inside. The one danger is losing every escort, which takes the held ancient ships down with the rest. Once home, an ancient ship serves like any other ship, and it can still be lost in battle or on a later expedition. Ancient ships are marked with an Ancient badge in the Shipyard and the fleet screens.

Coming Home

Recall the fleet from the Expedition tab and it flies home with its hold, and the ancient ships it found come home with it. Resources are credited when it lands. A fleet that is still flying out can be recalled from the Active Missions tab like any other.